The offenses inability to score TDs early kept the Ravens in the ball game. When Talib went out the flood gates opened. No pass rush. Flacco had all day. But that's been a problem with this defense for a while now. Hard to know what the game plan was when things are blowing up left and right on the playing field.

Geez, I'd like to see some deeper route running. This short game is driving me bonkers. It's no different than being a running type team. When it comes time to get deep the offense can't do it.

In the end this team isn't going any where without a defense. Until that gets fixed we can expect more of the same. It's been proven that the offense can't handle the pressure going it alone.

The way that AFCCG game progressed, wasn't that the first time this season in which both sides of the ball for the Pats, offense and defense, failed miserably in the second half at the same time? I seem to recall that one or the other would hold its own, but, not both sides floundering at the same time for an entire half. What comes closest is the first half in the 49'ers game in December. I know there are some here who will point to certain key plays and personnel losses led to such a second half deflation of the team, but, in a playoff game? Somewhere the fire blew out in this team as it just didn't seem to click in that second half. My two cents..

Let the arguments begin, I like to say!

Pretty much, yeah. But, in the end, if you note, it was two offensive turnovers, which tipped the scale for the 14 points Baltimore had to start it.

I keep reminding fans here, the more you give an underdog a sniff, the more likely it is they find what they're looking for.

Our offense has become a master for disappearing for large chunks of the game and just putting ridiculous pressure on the D to have to hold.

They couldn't, the team lost.

except u left out the fact that flacco wasted ur Defense

Flacco was TERRIBLE in the first half. The two turnovers in the second half and an inept Pats offense served it up, yes.

He didn't waste anything, he just played better than Brady.

That game is 20-7 maybe even 24 or 27-7 at the half with better Pats execution on offense.

Would you be saying Brady "wasted" Deer Antlers Ray Lewis at that point if that had happened?

No, you wouldn't because you're a gutless turd. Tom Brady has absolutely SUCKED beyond belief in 3 straight home AFC title games.

queenie ur D cant stop a nosebleed when it counts and hasn't for years-and it's all Tom Brady's fault

Dear Princess,

Actually, turnovers and short fields aren't nosebleed stopping situations. And I don't count a rebuilt D that is the youngest in the league as some supposed all world D that is expected to work miracles on those short fields either.

BB will go down as the best defensive minded head coach of all time. It's as simple as that.

What he won't go down as, is the best head coach in an offensive era with Tom Brady not really playing very well in the postseason.

That fact of the matter is, Tom Brady thinks his regular season choice in the shotgun translates to the postseason and his choices need to be taken away.

Funny how the Clay Matthews infatuation disppeared REAL QUICK with their D far worse than NE's yet Rodgers falling into the same path as Brady's shotgun spread addiction.

no one said bellichick is not a great defensive mind, certainly i never did-but u cannot deny-but of course u will-that ur defense has fallen short overall and when it counted a lot more than it has succeeded in the past 5 years-at times it has been terrible

but somehow it's all brady's fault

Oh good. This team won't win another one until BB gets this defense sorted out. I can't think of another team that repeatedly drags a defense this bad into the playoffs year after year. Well .. I can ... the 1980s Dolphins, the late 1980s/early 1990s Broncos, the early 1990s 49ers (before they ponied up for Haley and Sanders).

It's completely irrational to assume any offense is going to roll up defenses like Texas and Baltimore for 40+ every week, or that you can back a defense that gives up 28 every week against playoff teams.

The offense was pretty decent until the end when they had to score three times in 8 minutes to *tie* the game. Yeah, Ridley fumbled ... but these people wanted a 30+ run game plan ... when RBs get the ball 30+ times, sometimes they fumble. Playoff caliber defenses play through that.

It should have been 14 or 17 to 13 in the final stretch ... a winable score utilizing a ball control offense ... but the problem as Prolate and I have been saying for seasons upon seasons ... ball control offense needs ball control defense ... something NE hasn't had since BB lost all the players that Pete Carroll and Bill Parcells got for him.

The way that AFCCG game progressed, wasn't that the first time this season in which both sides of the ball for the Pats, offense and defense, failed miserably in the second half at the same time? I seem to recall that one or the other would hold its own, but, not both sides floundering at the same time for an entire half. What comes closest is the first half in the 49'ers game in December. I know there are some here who will point to certain key plays and personnel losses led to such a second half deflation of the team, but, in a playoff game? Somewhere the fire blew out in this team as it just didn't seem to click in that second half. My two cents..

Let the arguments begin, I like to say!

not "fire" or such nonsense....ravens just beat their a**

Yeah, they did since the Pats simply turned around and stuck their a**es out to get a beating. They didn't have that spark and execution we are used to seeing. There were a lot of muffed plays without the Ravens D involved. A point in fact, the team that played the Texans the week before, disappeared. Didn't play close to that team that popped 41 on the Texans D which most folks considered better than the Ravens D. It is what it is.

i know ur a fan but this idea that the pats lost rather than the ravens won is typical

the ravens were better, are better and derserved to win-could've won last year too

can't u just accept this? can u give ANY credit to ur opponent? try it

Give props to the Ravens. They played better and executed the plays they needed to execute. This discussion is about the Pats and their lack of execution in the game. There were many offensive plays that were simply lack of execution and not necessarily the Ravens D. Dropped passes were everywhere. Take two plays away from the Giants, you would not be using that 42AND46 moniker!! You can't admit the Giants won but for the two most incredible, and miraculous, plays, seen in SB history. But you have your biases too!!

Take away the Super Bowl years because only Wilfork and Brady are the only guys with rings here.

The Patriots are 8-7. In three of those wins, Brady has thrown more INTs than TDs.

Since '07, when the Pats became an offensive juggernaught, the offense has scored 30+ points just twice in ten games. in 4 of the 5 seasons that the Pats have made the playoffs during that stretch, they scored over 500 points.

People can blame that defense for '07 if they want...but giving up 17 points in the Super Bowl is not bad. You have to go all the way back to 1975 to find a time where giving up 17 in the big game actually lost it for you. Did they choke on the last drive? A little, yes. But that offense choked for the first 58 minutes.

As for the other years where they Pats have scored 500 during the regular season ('10,'11,'12), the offense has completely choked during the playoffs. They played well in two of six games. Gronk's loss is a factor, but it's disappointing that they completely wilt without him. In short, offense shrinks in big games.

I'm not going to label the defense as chokers because you need to be considered good to be able to choke. In fact, for the most part, I felt they rose to the occassion in '11.

Sorry, this won't be popular, but Brady hasn't been a big game QB for a while now. Guys like Babe will make excuses like how everyone around Brady lets him down. But sorry, I'm not going to cut Brady that much slack just because he's the best player in franchise history.

I just saw a guy a couple of weeks ago put up 28 points after his number 1 rb fumbled the ball and did virtually nothing on the ground, his coach mismanage the game, AND his top ranked defense giving up 30 points.

Small sample size from Russell Wilson, but what he did after being down 20 points in the half was spectacular. That's what big game QBs do. He lost, but he actually played well.

If the trademark of the team is going to be the offense, then it needs to not choke. They know what defense theyre playing with and what it's limitations are.

In short:

Playoffs: Offense plays way worse than it does during the regular season

Defense plays as good/bad as it does during the regular season

Well put. Good points I have to agree with them. I might also add, BB was a sally against the Ravens. The punting in the first half was just ridiculous. And the lack of that time out being called earlier b4 the first half ended was the beginning of the end that game. Lackluster at best from BB.

This is a matter of pride swallowing. No one can accept that when the Pats play a physical team problems arise. I'll say it again. With less than a handful of front fours that can penetrate the O line and put enough pressure on TB, will have success. Once you get into the mind set of a QB, any QB, half the battle is won. Even with the dinkin' and dunkin' passing offense the Pats' have, good physical initial man to man contact within the alotted rule, will deviate or disrupt the pattern just enough to blow up a play. TB has to go to his next progression, which I saw numerous times was disrupted as well. The physicality of the Raven's secondary is very similar to a Seattle or even the niners with the latter having the better safeties and great coverage underneath. This is not rocket science. You either have the personnel to impose doubt or fear into an opposing team or you draft to match that intensity with similar personnel. Thus far, the draft process has been hit or miss, as is with all other teams in the NFL. If they can collectively instill this 'we can't beaten either side of ball mantra', this team will be deadly. Only problem is TB is aging, so time is definitely a major factor. MY 2 sense.

And those are the only reasons? Check out the injury report on a numgber teams in the league. Gronk, impactful. Talib, matter of time before Flacco finds open receivers in that porous secondary. Get over it and enjoy what could be one of the most physical SB games ever played. And yet we may be disappointed. I'm watching it, you enjoy the cartoon station with your bros. Can't get there every year kiddo.

Enough. Their guarenteed 5 or 6 wins in that cup cake division is a major factor to their road to the POs every year. At season's start, NE had the easiest schedule of all 32 teams according to last year's win/loss %. They were in the SB for #$$%ake. My Giants had the toughest. Makes sense? Football gods have to be watching.

Enough. Their guarenteed 5 or 6 wins in that cup cake division is a major factor to their road to the POs every year. At season's start, NE had the easiest schedule of all 32 teams according to last year's win/loss %. They were in the SB for #$$%ake. My Giants had the toughest. Makes sense? Football gods have to be watching.

well now it all makes sense, you are just angry that the giants didnt make the playoffs, so you come here spewing this nonsense. you add nothing to this forum, even leon and jints [no offense] add more to this forum than you do. get a life you jealous little jersey sc.umbag.

First, I'm not little. Dedicated power lifter that could certainly shake you like Jake. Secondly, when my team loses, I move on. This the primary reason I read this forum to imbibe all the excuses and reasons why 'we aren't going the SB this year' bawawa. Who gives a shiot? If you look anything like your avatar, we could use you in the midget tossing events I compete in. You could make a couple of bucks. Now cease and go away you little nat. Stop trying to hide your imaginary tough guy personna hiding behind a screen. Your no sense.

haha!! i never said i was tough, you are the one professing your toughness behind a computer screen....and i dont care if you are a power lifter, this forum isnt about that.

as far as the pats struggling against physical teams, you are wrong. there are some that agree they struggle against physical teams, its the brady ballwashing club that cant seem to understand it.

In addition to being a Boston teams fan, Celts, Sox & Bruins too, as I spent 1st 21 years in Maine, I'm a local fan too living now in SF not usually thought of as a sports town like Boston, Philly, Detroit, Pitts, Balt etc. Will be something to have a SB champ along with world series victors, SF Giants, and GS Warriors too to be strong, better than the hated Lakers, in the playoffs.

I want the 49ers to get revenge for the Pats as the Pats did not do last year when Giants luckily beat Niners on 2 bonehead fumbles. Then Pats lose the 2nd SB to NY in 3 years. Happy they did not make the playoffs at 9-7 as they did last year.

I really wanted a 49er-Pats SB as I did last year too. I think Pats would have beaten Alex Smith last year but if not, the loss would not have hurt as much as the 2nd one in 3 years in SBs with the dredded Giants. But this year, I don't think Pats would have beaten SF.

Some commentaries make fun of Jim Haubaugh being a little too "Rah Rah" sort of like Pete Carroll of Seattle. Brother John is a bit more reserved. Belichick is more reserved, stoic and seems unemotional. Personally, I don't mind Jim's antics on the sidelines.

Here's the problem with the Pats and I know I'm simplifying this. All year they would usually score 35-40 points so defense was not a major issue. If some of you are Celtic fans it is similar to a problem Boston has had for a number of years, weak in rebounding but if they shot 45-50%, rebounding was not an issue. Many posts cited Welker's dropped pass as being the deciding factor. But, I felt the lack of a pass rush was what did Pats in with no pressure on Flacco. Again, not a big issue if you can score 40-35 points and outscore the opponent but when you have a miserable offensive game, the defense can still rescue a team. SF was down 7-0 and 14-7 to Green Bay. They were down 17-0 to Atlanta and 24-14 at half. In those 2 games in the 2nd half only 7 points were scored by GB when SF was up by 21, 45-24, in last meaningless 2 minutes and Falcons were held scoreless. When people think of SF, other than in the last 2 weeks with Kaepernicks ability to run, what do most people think first about SF's team...DEFENSE !!! If Pats had scored 35-40 pts Welker's drop becomes a non-issue. Pats main objective should be to draft linemen who can get to the QB & good defensive backs.

DRAGGED? The Pats have been scoring 30+ pts per game (in the regular season, a much deceptive stat). By the way, 'stats are for loser', coming the genius' mouth. Come POs they get to play the REAL teams with physical personnel and all things change. Gronk is definitely a beast and impactful. Talib, good, but Flacco standing in and stepping into his throws into that porous secondary was much less impactful. The NE defense were usually comfortable knowing the O could score a ton of points. When they wouldn't, it presented an issue. TB felt less at ease against the Ravens facing almost constant pressure and routes being disrupted. They need to draft better to match physical teams intensity. Time's running short for TB. That's my objective 2 sense or as they say in NO 'mes deux pence". Adieu mon ami.

Wow, this discussion has been fairly civil. Seems the most common sentiment here is that it is a mystery how a team like the Pats, which can steam roller the league in the regular season, can't keep up the same level of play consistently in the playoffs these last 5 - 6 years. Yes, we point to the defense, but, look at the points the D has given up in the playoffs and the Pats still lost! The D gave up their regular season average or less in most playoff games, yet, the offense failed to score their regular season average in the playoffs but a couple times. If one looks at it that way, why does the offense go into the tank in the playoffs? I am certain that comment will elicit some arguments!!!!

Wow, this discussion has been fairly civil. Seems the most common sentiment here is that it is a mystery how a team like the Pats, which can steam roller the league in the regular season, can't keep up the same level of play consistently in the playoffs these last 5 - 6 years. Yes, we point to the defense, but, look at the points the D has given up in the playoffs and the Pats still lost! The D gave up their regular season average or less in most playoff games, yet, the offense failed to score their regular season average in the playoffs but a couple times. If one looks at it that way, why does the offense go into the tank in the playoffs? I am certain that comment will elicit some arguments!!!!

What team can keep up the same level of play consistently in the playoffs? There isn't one. It's no mystery. Everyone wants dominance like in 2003, 2004 and almost in 2007. The Patriots just haven't gotten good execution or the ball to bounce their way the last few years.

Wow, this discussion has been fairly civil. Seems the most common sentiment here is that it is a mystery how a team like the Pats, which can steam roller the league in the regular season, can't keep up the same level of play consistently in the playoffs these last 5 - 6 years. Yes, we point to the defense, but, look at the points the D has given up in the playoffs and the Pats still lost! The D gave up their regular season average or less in most playoff games, yet, the offense failed to score their regular season average in the playoffs but a couple times. If one looks at it that way, why does the offense go into the tank in the playoffs? I am certain that comment will elicit some arguments!!!!

What team can keep up the same level of play consistently in the playoffs? There isn't one. It's no mystery. Everyone wants dominance like in 2003, 2004 and almost in 2007. The Patriots just haven't gotten good execution or the ball to bounce their way the last few years.

Some truth there. This past week, it was said often enough that but for two plays in the last two SBs for the Pats, Brady would have a SB ring for each finger. So even the talking heads agree that the Pats were the victims of fortuitous plays benefiting their opponent at the right time. Who would have thought in two consecutive SBs, the Pats would be leading the game with about 3 minutes or so left in the game and they would lose both games? Games in which the opponent had a single play occur in those last few minutes of the game in which many considered to be the key play, if not one of the historically key plays, in the game? Thems the bounces, right?